medieval music notation

Ars nova Notation

6 sessions
Online

Course Description

The fourteenth century witnessed a growing interest in measuring things; this went hand in hand, for example, with the invention of the mechanical clock and the consequent installation of many public clocks in cities all over Europe, but also with notable advances in the study of astronomy, mathematics and computus. Johannes de Muris, himself a proficient astronomer and mathematician, devised a new system of music notation based on a new arrangement of note values and interrelationships. Although he took the traditional notational figures developed in the late-13th and early-14th centuries, his system finally allowed (he claims) to notate anything that can be sung.

This system, traditionally considered to be the classical form of 14th-century notation and used in the works by Guillaume de Machaut among others, is the focus of this course, though other related forms of notation such as that used in the well-known Roman de Fauvel, Marchettus of Padua’s ‘Italian’ notation, and the late developments of the so-called Ars subtilior will also be studied.

In this course, students will:

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Learn the precepts of 14th-century notation from contemporary treatises

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Study the different notational developments throughout the 14th century

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Explore several different monophonic and polyphonic repertoires of the period

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Apply the rules to actual musical compositions

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Transcribe pieces into modern notation

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Sight read from original sources

Raul LacillaInstructor:
Raúl Lacilla

COURSE INFO

DATES & DURATION

February 17 to June 9, 2025
6 sessions

Location

Online

Price 1.5 credits

1.5 credit ECTS: 340€

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Languages

English - Spanish

Prerequisites

Student must have basic musical knowledge and be able to read modern music notation.

Syllabus

Session 1 | Post-Franconian notation and the Roman de Fauvel

Session 2 | The gradus system

Session 3 | The notation of ligatures

Session 4| Colouration and syncopation

Session 5 | The Italian trecento

Session 6 |The Ars subtilior

Teaching Methodology

This course will be comprised of:

    • 6 tutorial videos of 20-35 minutes each (total 3.5 hours)
    • 6 recorded lectures of 45 minute each (total 4.5 hours)
    • 3 biweekly live Q&A sessions of 1hour and 15 minutes each (total 3.5 hours) conducted through the course. The sessions will be recorded so that students can access them at any time.
    • Downloadable materials and links to additional resources

Schedules and assignments:

    • The course is self-paced.
    • The majority of pre-recorded video lessons, lectures, and study materials will be posted on the first day of the term.
    • Students will have access to all session and their materials until the last day of the term.
    • The student workload to review the materials and complete the assignments is approximately 6.25 hours per session
    • There will be some suggested deadlines to submit assignments
    • Homework will be accepted until a week before the end of the term
    • Students taking the course for credit must complete all assignments and class requirements


Technical Requirements

    • Broadband Internet connection / WIFI

    • External or internal webcam
    • External or internal microphone
    • Speakers or headphones
    • Possibility of printing downloaded materials
    • Possibility of scanning your assignments
    • Possibility of auto-recording (audio and video)

Enroll Now

Places are limited for each section, so sign up early.

The International Course of Medieval Music Besalú offers singers and instrumentalists the possibility of studying the repertoires of monodic and polyphonic music composed between the 11th and 13th centuries.

With the support of: